Wasted

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Taylor

S tanding in front of the large suite window, I stared down at the streets of Nashville, second-guessing my decision to come. Nashville was full of tall buildings, busy streets, and neon lights. I'd never seen anything like it. It was both exciting and terrifying. Even as an adult, I'd rarely left the city limits of Bridgewater, and when I did leave, it didn't look anything like this.

"This is Cole's room," Wyatt said, pulling my suitcase through the door. "He has one more show here the day after tomorrow, and then we leave for Kentucky. You'll have to share a room tonight and tomorrow, but for the next show, I'll try to get you a connecting room."

I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt, my stomach knotting with anxiety. "Where is Cole now?"

Cole hadn't seen me in two years. He'd left and never came back. Not even for his brother's funeral. I couldn't imagine how this would go when he returned to the hotel, and I was waiting for him.

"He's at the bar." Wyatt dropped my suitcase on the couch. "He's always at the bar."

"So what's the plan? Do I just wait here for him?"

"No." Wyatt shook his head.

Kylie pushed through the door dressed like Nashville's Broadway Barbie. Her blonde hair was big and wavy, her makeup caked on so thick she didn't look like the same girl I'd flown here with, and she sparkled. She wore a tight black skirt with fringe, a silver glittery halter corset, and tall silver boots. "We are going to go get him." She smiled, holding up a dress bag.

I groaned inwardly because I was sure whatever was in that bag was for me. I didn't normally wear skirts and dresses. I didn't wear makeup or do my hair fancy. I worked seven nights a week behind a bar and seven days a week on my family's ranch, but I'd already committed to this process, so whatever was in that bag, I was going to wear it. "So, I'm going to go down to the bar and hang out with him?"

Kylie's eyes sparkled with mischief. "No. We are going to go in and get him to leave with us." Her lips curved into a sly smile. "Or with you."

I arched my eyebrows.

Wyatt rubbed his temples, looking exhausted. "Cole's been closing down bars every night of this tour. Getting him out quietly... that's gonna be the real challenge."

"O...kay," I said. "So how do we do that?"

"You're going to lure him out with the idea of—" She paused.

"With what?"

"Sex."

A laugh bubbled out of me. "When Cole sees me, he's going to cause a scene. He's not going to leave with me. Not even for sex."

Kylie waved her hand dismissively, her silver bracelets jingling. "Girl, Cole's wasted. He wouldn't recognize his own mother right now, and especially not when I'm done with you."

"You girls, hurry up and get ready. I'm going to prepare everyone else, and I'll meet you in the lobby in," he glanced at his watch, "twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes?" Kylie screeched.

Wyatt nodded. "That's all the time we got. Work fast." He jerked open the door, stepped out, and slammed it behind him.

"Let's do this." Kylie grabbed a chair, its legs scraping against the floor as she dragged it into the bathroom. She positioned it in front of the mirror and pointed imperiously. "Sit." I complied without a word. She strolled out of the bathroom and reappeared a few seconds later with arms full of her magic tools to make me unrecognizable.

"Are you nervous about seeing Cole again?" Kylie asked, tugging at my ponytail holder.

My gaze shifted to her through the mirror. My eyes scanned over her face, trying to read her, but she was focused on my hair. I couldn't help but wonder how Kylie really felt about all this—about me coming here. For a long time, she believed I'd stolen Caleb from her, and now Cole was hers. Well, kind of, I thought.

"Kylie," I whispered. I wasn't good at girl talk or anything expressing emotions. It had always been easier to be closed off. Her gaze flashed up, meeting mine through the mirror. "Do you have feelings for Cole?"

Her face lit up as her grin widened. "Truth?" I nodded. "I've never had feelings for Cole, and he's never had them for me. I love Cole the same way you loved Caleb." Like a brother.

"But River..."

"River is my whole world, but she was supposed to be Caleb's, not Cole's. I'm still thankful for everything Cole's done for us." Her gaze shifted back to my hair. "We were both hurt after you and Caleb announced you were engaged out of nowhere. We ran into each other in a bar and had way too much to drink. After we woke up, we realized what we'd done, but there was no going back. Six weeks later, two pink lines showed up, and we tried to make the best of it, but I was still in love with Caleb, and he was still in love with you."

"He loved you," I choked out, fighting the tears stinging my eyes. Her gaze lifted, meeting mine. "Caleb. He loved you. He would talk about you all the time. You were what got him through the hard times." I smiled, remembering back. "He would watch all of your TikTok and YouTube makeup tutorials."

A tear streamed down her cheek. "I figured he would hate me after he found out about River."

"No." I shook my head. "He knew he couldn't give you that life. He was happy for you. He was happy all your dreams were coming true. All the dreams he knew he'd hold you back from."

Swallowing hard, she nodded, visibly fighting back her tears. "I miss him," she sniffled.

"I know."

"Well," she cleared her throat and wiped away the one tear that managed to escape. "Let's hope your second chance goes better than mine." She forced a sad smile.

I hugged my arms around myself, a familiar ache settling in my chest. "Cole and I's chance passed a long time ago."

"Maybe." She shrugged, her sequins catching the light. "Maybe not."

For the next twenty minutes, Kylie worked her magic, softening my features with light touches of makeup. My eyes looked brighter, my cheekbones more defined, and when she was done, I didn't even recognize myself.

Kylie stepped back, admiring her handiwork with a satisfied smile. "What do you think?"

My gaze met hers through the mirror. "I think I understand now why so many people follow you for makeup tips," I teased. Kylie was a social media influencer who just recently started her own makeup line. I'd always thought she got her fame from being Cole Montgomery's baby momma, but even if that was how it started, she'd definitely earned her own way.

Kylie's hand squeezed my shoulder, her touch both reassuring and questioning. "You ready for this?"

Sucking in a deep breath, I let my gaze roam over myself in the full-length mirror. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't ready for the humiliation if he recognized me. I wasn't ready for the rejection or to see the hurt I'd caused him in his eyes, but it was now or never. "No." I shook my head. "But I will be."

"Taylor," Kylie said, grabbing my shoulders and turning me to face her. "You need to get out of your own head right now because you're coming off as a scared, timid girl, and we need a confident, sexy woman to get him out of that bar."

I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. "Right." My reflection stared back at me with newfound determination. "I can do sexy and confident."

"All you have to do is lure him back to the hotel room, get him in the bed, and cuff him. Wyatt and Dallas will follow you up incognito in case you need help."

My brow furrowed as confusion and doubt crept in. "Why are we going to such lengths to get him up here? Why don't we just wait for him to come back? Or drag him out?"

Kylie's expression darkened, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Paparazzi are everywhere, and we want to avoid any more bad press. He also doesn't come back to the hotel once he leaves. We usually don't see him until showtime if he shows up. If we can get him back here and sober him up, maybe you can talk some sense into him."

"We are definitely going to need a good pair of handcuffs." Because he was going to flip when he realized it was me tomorrow morning.